Acetylene-gas-generating street-lamp.



Patented Feb. [3, 1900.

W. C. CLARKE.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATING STREET LAMP.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1896.)

(No Model.)

R 0 T N E V m BY @M m c2. ATTORNEY WITNESSES: A W' wf H: uonms PETERS w,vnoraumun WASHINGTON, o. c

Unrrnn XVILLIAM C. CLARKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ACETYLENEAPPARATUS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ACETYLEN E-GAS-G EN ERATING STREET-LAMP.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,222, dated February13, 1900.

Application filed April 10, 1896. Serial No. 586,932. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM (J. CLARKE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Lamps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of streetlamps in which theindividual lamps are not connected with a central gas-supply, but areeach provided with a local supply of fuel; and the object of myimprovements is to provide means whereby acetylene gas,which, as is Wellknown, is generated upon bringing water in contact with a suitablemetallic carbid, may be conveniently, safely, and economically used asan illuminant with such lamps. In certain respects this gas isparticularly well adapted for such a purpose, since it can be generatedat or near the spot where it is to be used, thereby avoiding the expenseof laying and maintaining street-mains, and can also be produced in suchlimited quantities as may be required to supply a given lamp or burnerfor a predetermined number of hours. It gives also a light of greatbrilliance and luminosity, well adapted for lighting large spaces andfor exceeding that of any liquid or gaseous illuminant heretoforeemployed for street-lighting. Certain difficulties incident to thenature of the materials employed in generating the gas and the manner ofits use have, however, to be provided for. Thus it is necessary that thewater and carbid employed in producing it shall be brought together insuch manner that no material amount of gas shall escape during theoperation, and also that the gas shall not escape from the gas receivingchamber, which is necessarily connected with the generatingchamber whenthelatter is opened for the purpose of removing the debris ofdecomposition and introducing fresh charges of material.

To the end of providing such a means and method for operating astreetlamp that it may be charged and recharged and operated withconvenience and without loss of gas, I provide a post or support for thelamp having a hollow gas tight body the interior of which serves as avertically-elongated gas-receiving chamber, provided with a floor orbottom below which the support extends, so as to be set in the ground orotherwise suitably secured. From near the lowest point of thisgas-chamber a gas-pipe, open atits lower end, runs up through the gaschamber to the burner, between which and the gas-chamber is interposed apressure-regulator. Outside of the lamp-support and near the bottomthereof is a generating-chamber, consisting of a cyl- 6o inder, with itslongest axis vertical and provided at top and bottom with removablecaps. From a point at or near the top of the gencrating-chamber a pipeleads into the gaschamber, which it enters at a point as near as may beto the floor or bottom thereof.

In using the apparatus the cylindrical generating-chamber is chargedfrom the top, the lower cap being in place, with a Waterproof cartridgecontaining carbid of calcium, which is preferably so made as to closelyfit the chamber diametrically and of such length as to leave sufficientspace in the chamber to receive the water required for decomposing thecarbid. The upper cap of the chamber being placed in position, thecartridge is then crushed or opened by a device provided for the purposeand the water in the chamber enters the cartridge, whereupon the gas isgenerated and passes into the gas-chamber. The quantity of carbidcontained in the cartridge should be such that the amount of gasgenerated and the pressure under which it is stored in the gas-chamberwill be only sufficient to operatively supply the burner for a desiredor predetermined number of hours, allowance being made on the firstcharging for such excess of quantity as will remain in the chamber afterthe pressure is exhausted, and the light is permitted to burn until ex-0 tinguished through failure of gas-pressure at the end of the giventime. Owing to the fact that the vertical diameter of the gas-chamber ismuch greater than its horizontal diameter and that the gas is taken bythe feed-pipe from near the bottom thereof the residue of gas remainingin the chamber when the pressure is so far reduced that enough gas tosupport the flame is no longer supplied will not escape and be replacedby air, as would 0therwise be the case, but being lighter than air istrapped and remains in the upper part of the gas-chamber ready to beadded to the next charge of gas, whereby an important economy iseffected. In order to recharge the chamber with gas, the cock of thelampburner is closed or care is taken to ignite the gas at the burner assoon as suflicient pressure is generated, the caps of the generatingchamber or cylinder are removed, and the spent cartridge is driven outthrough the lower opening of the cylinder. The lower cap is thenreplaced, a fresh cartridge is inserted in the cylinder, and thegeneration of the gas is effected in the same manner as before.

Owing to the great vertical extension of the gas-chamber, which may beassisted, if desired, by an outwardly-closing check-valve in the pipeleading from the generating-cylinder to the gas-chamber, no escape of.gas will occur when the cylinder is opened for recharging, except suchsmall amount as may be present in the cylinder, which may bedisregarded.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a vertical section of the device;Fig.2, an elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 an enlarged section of thegenerating-cylinder. Fig. 4 is a transverse section.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthedrawings.

A indicates the lamp post or support, which is made hollow,'so as toforma gas-tight chamber B, the vertical diameter of which is muchgreater than its horizontal diameter. From a point near the bottom ordoor 0 of the chamber B a gas-pipe I), the lower end of which is open,extends up through the top of the chamber to the lamp-burner a. Belowthe burner a is placed a pressure-regulator Z ,which may be of any usualor well-known form. 4

Outside the lamp-support A is placed the generating chamber or cylinderE, consisting of a cylinder of suitable material having its longer axisvertical. The cylinder E is provided at each end with a removable cap 6e, by which it may be closed gas-tight. The upper cap 6 is provided witha cutting or crushing device F, which may form a part of the cap andwhich when the cap is in position projects into the cylinder and as thecap is screwed into place is forced downward and into a cartridge H,placed therein. The lower cap may also, if desired, be provided withprojections which when the cartridge is forced against them by theaction of the device F will pierce the lower end of the cartridge. Thecylinder E is connected near its upper end with the gas-chamber B by apipe G, which enters the chamber B near the floor or bottom thereof.

cylinder'E is removed and a waterproof cartridge containing carbid ofcalcium is inserted therein and a quantity of water sufficient to effectthe decomposition of the carbid is poured into the cylinder above thecar- 'added to the next following charge.

tridge. Preferably the cartridge is made to fit the cylinder so closelythat the water cannot pass down to the lower end of the cylinder, butwill remain above the cartridge until it is opened and the cartridge isforced so far down in the cylinder when placed therein that thespaceabove it will be sufficient for the reception of the requisite quantityof water. The cartridge may be made to fit the cylinder either by beingitself of such diameter as to fit closely therein or by being providedat its upper edge with an outwardlyprojecting flange h, which will fitclosely against the walls of the chamber. If desired, this flange may bemade to extend so far upward as to form a cup in which the water will becontained. The cap 6' is then screwed on and the crusher F is forceddown and into the end of the cartridge, so that the water can pass inand combine with the carbid. Since all of the water is above thecartridge in the cylinder, it will all enter the cartridge and come incontact with the carbid, and thus be efiective in forming'gas, so thatit is'unnecessary to provide space in the cylinder for morethan enoughwater to effect the decomposition of the maximum amount of carbid used,and there is practically no surplus of undecomposed water which mightbecome frozen in cold weather, as wouldbe the case if the waterwereadmitted to the cartridge at other than its highest point. The gasdeveloped passes into the gaschamber B and up through the pipe D to theburner, where it is consumed as required.

The cartridge employed should be charged with such a quantity of carbidas will provide sufficient gas to run the burner for the number of hoursduring which it is desired the lamp shall be operated in asingle night.By so doing the lamp requires attention but once in each twenty-fourhours, the operation of supplying the gas being performed at the timewhen it is desired that the lamp shall'be light ed, and the gas beingthen ignited andpermitted to burn until the gas-pressu re becomes soreduced that it will no longer support the flame, which goes out ofitself, and the operation is repeated from day to day. Regard must alsobe had in proportioning the gaschamber to the pressure under which thegas is to be stored, so that it shall be sufficient to maintain theflame for the required time, as otherwise while the gas-supply may beample asfar as quantity is concerned the flame may be'prematurelyextinguished through lack of sufficient pressure. Owing to therelativelygreat vertical elongation of the gas-chamber B and to the factthat the gas is taken to the burner from the bottom thereof any residueof gas remaining in the chamber after the pressure becomes so reduced asto no longer support the gas-flame will not escape from the chamber, butwill remain therein to be In order to renew the charge of carbid, boththe upper and lower caps e e of the cylinder E are removed, and thespent Cartridge is driven out through the lower opening of the cylinder.The fact that the interior of the cylinder or generating-chamber whenthe caps are removed is simply avertical tube open at both ends, thuspresenting an open passage, enables this to be easily done, even in caseof the freezing of any small quantity of surplus water in the cylinderin cold weather, and also enables any lime that may have escaped fromthe cartridge to be washed or scraped from the walls of the chamber.After the spent cartridge is removed the lower cap e is put in place,and the cylinder is charged and the gas generated in the same manner asin the first instance, the gas-burner being closed before the generationof gas is begun and being again opened and the gas ignited when thegas-pressure is reestablished.

By means of my invention an isolated streetlamp can be operated with aminimum of attention and in a simple and economical manner. As the lampsrequire visiting but once each day one man with a vehicle provided withthe necessary supply of cartridges and water can efficiently attend tothe lighting of a village or town of considerabe size, advan tages whichwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a means of operating street-lamps the combination with. a hollowlamp-support forming a gas-chamber and having a gas-pipe leading fromnear the bottom of such chamber to the lampburner, of a cylindricalgasgenerating chamber located outside of said gas-chamber and having itslonger axis vertical, a pipe connecting the upper part of saidgenerating-chamber with the lower part of said gas-chamber, removablecaps for the upper and lower ends of said generating-chamber, acartridge, adapted to closely -fit the interior of saidgenerating-chamber and containing material adapted upon contact withwater to generate illuminating-gas and means for opening the upper endof such cartridge when contained in said chamber after the latter isclosed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a street-lamp the combination of a hollow lamp-support forming averticallyelongated gas-chamber, a gas-supply pipe extending from nearthe bottom of said chamber to the lamp-burner, and a generatingchamberexterior to said gas-chamber and consisting of a tube provided at theends with removable caps and presenting when such caps are removed anopen passage, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a streetlamp the combination of a hollow lamp-support forming averticallyelongated gas chamber, a gas supply pipe within said chamberand extending froma point near the bottom thereof to the burner of thelamp and a gas-generating chamber located exterior to said gas-chamberand operatively connected therewith, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

4. In a street-lamp the combination of a hollow lamp support formingaverticaIlyelongated gas-chamber and a gas-generating chamberoperatively connected therewith and consisting of a cylinder havingremovable caps at the ends thereof and presenting when such caps areremoved an open passage, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

5. In a street-lamp the combination of a gas-chamber, a burner suppliedtherefrom, and a gasgenerating chamber operatively connected with suchgas-chamber and consisting of a cylinder having removable end caps andpresenting, when such caps are removed an open tubular passage,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day ofApril,'A. D.

WM. C. CLARKE. Witnesses:

GEo. OOSTER, F. A. THAYER.

